Summer of Nostalgia
I recently started listening to this podcast:
And OMG. The nostalgia.
Each episode focuses on one 90s song and explores not only the song and the artist but how the song fits into the wider context of the decade as a whole. It is an absolutely fascinating listen that I whole-heartedly recommend if you were, like me, a teen in the 90s, or if you have any interest in the music at all.
But the show is more than the interesting stories behind the music that served as the soundtrack to my youth. It struck an emotional chord I was not expecting. Songs, like scents, are a powerful force. Like how hearing the opening lines of “Hey Jealousy” immediately brings you back to your room, sitting at your desk with your orange cat loafing on top, scribbling your short stories in your journal and wondering how the Gin Blossoms were capable of crafting such a perfect album (or was that just me?) Either way. I guarantee there’s a song that brings you back.
Seems like 90s nostalgia is having a moment. It’s only natural, as 90s teens are now entering mid-life and looking back on their youth, realizing how quickly it all passed. The Gin Blossoms, now, are as old to my kids as Buddy Holly was to me when I was twelve. Nirvana is being played on classic rock stations. I still remember the first time I saw Smells Like Teen Spirit on MTV—half confused, half intrigued, fully on board.
I feel like nostalgia is a tricky thing. In some ways, life, and the world, was undoubtedly better in 1996, when I graduated high school. And in so many other ways, it was much worse. Much like our parents, yearning for the simplicity of the 50s, I do sometimes wish I didn’t own a cell phone. That I still watched music videos on MTV. But I also know that idyllic world in my memory didn’t really exist. It never did, no matter the decade.
And yet… my 90s playlist has been on repeat for years, but even more these days. For one, it’s good music. Plus there’s nothing wrong with returning to a world in which you were 16, the possibility of life still before you, and Toad the Wet Sprocket on the radio. If only for a moment in time.
(I think this is an old meme… Pretty sure he’s 78 now.)
Spreading a little joy is part of Adele’s mission. So if you’re like us—afraid to read the news to see what fresh hell the day has brought—we invite you to skip the doom scrolling and settle in with one of our stories. Because you know there’s gonna be a happy ending. And if you enjoy our books, please take a moment to leave a rating or review on Amazon. It really helps us out!